Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. Tiananmen Square. July 2006. One year after "Delegation."

This is not an essay on the Communist Party of China (CPC). It’s just acknowledgement of its 90 years of existence and to provide a link to a National Public Radio (NPR) story on the anniversary. And to highlight a true tale of mine that winds up and crescendos (if that’s the word) with an analysis of Communism in China provided to me by a local government official. Here’s the link to the NPR story: After 90 Years, Graft Threatens China’s Communists. The NPR piece is both text and audio. Here’s an excerpt:

. . . The pair was detained, and while they were in custody, their house was torn down. She believes the ordeal was a factor contributing to the deaths of her mother and her father-in-law. Her verdict on the Communist Party is scathing.

“It’s rotten to its roots. They don’t care how many laws they break,” she said. “Nationwide, how much farming land has been taken from us? What are we farmers supposed to eat?”

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Many of you who are regular visitors or subscribers to this blog have already read my piece, “Delegation,” which chronicles some moments in time during a 2005 visit of mine to Beijing and parts north. The story contains everything you’d want to read about concerning a business trip to China — Jade Buddhas and elaborate massages and such. But it winds up in the back of a car with a local government official discussing Communism. I think it ties-in quite well with the NPR piece. Mind you, I’m just reporting what I heard, not analyzing.